Traditional stair cases may be constructed by firstly installing stringers, and then installing treads and risers alternately along the length of the stair case. The stingers have wedge shaped rebates for each tread and each riser. Once each tread/riser has been located in the stringers, wedges are driven into the rebates to hold the respective tread or riser in position. Furthermore, glue is used to secure the treads, risers and wedges to the stringers. In some instances, fasteners can be used to secure the bottom of risers to the toe of treads.
It is also common to glue a block between the stringers, and beneath each tread and behind the riser immediately below that tread. This block helps to minimize relative movement between the tread and riser, which is a cause of “squeaking” when a person steps on the tread.
For convenience, it is common to start installation of a treads and risers of the stair case with top most tread, and work down to the lower most riser, with the installer positioned beneath the stair case. This gives rise to several problems. Often the installer is initially working above their head height. When finishing the installation, the installer is working in a confined space at ground level. In addition, the installer is required to use large quantities of glue, which can be messy and unpleasant to work with. This type of stair case assembly is labour intensive, and time consuming.
There is a need to address the above, and/or at least provide a useful alternative.